Before we get into the bulk of this article, we would like to preface it by mentioning that the both of us, Beatitudes Campus employee, Suzette Armijo, and friend of the campus, Kathy Ritchie, are former caregivers. Suzette’s grandmother suffered from Alzheimer’s disease. She passed away in 2012. Kathy’s mother suffered from Frontotemporal Degeneration, a lesser-known type of dementia. She passed away in 2014 in the Health Care Center here on Campus.
Governor Doug Ducey has proclaimed June to be Alzheimer’s Awareness Month. While the Governor frequently issues proclamations, for those of us who have been directly affected by Alzheimer’s disease or another dementia, this is a step in the right direction in terms of awareness. The Governor is paying attention. Now, we must link arms and continue to remind Governor Ducey, and the world, that this disease is not going away.
The reality is, most Americans cannot afford this disease. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, in 2015, more than 15 million caregivers provided an estimated 18.1 BILLION hours of unpaid care. We must do better. After all, to quote Mahatma Ghandi, “A nation’s greatness is measured by how it treats its weakest members.”
Beatitudes Campus has been in partnership with the Central Phoenix Advocates for Dementia Awareness or CADA. As co-founders of this small, but mighty, grassroots organization, we are proud to see this strong partnership. We started this group, in part, to preserve the memory of our loved ones and to share our experiences, which, more often than not, were difficult. When you lose a grandparent, parent or any loved one to dementia, the grief lingers. You simply cannot walk away from what happened. You just don’t move on.
The reality is, it takes compassion and a community to endure such an ordeal. Our Campus and CADA believe that we have a responsibility to our neighbors and our hope is to provide them with the tools and resources needed to endure such a devastating loss.
We are also committed to awareness and advocacy. There will be no solution, no cure, until we, as a society, decide to make this a priority. It is important to make noise, to sound the alarm switch we did Sunday, June 12.
Beatitudes Campus and CADA partnered with AARP Arizona, Arizona Caregiver Coalition, Banner Alzheimer’s Institute, Brain Injury Alliance of Arizona, Duet and Hospice of the Valley to turn the lights on the Capitol Dome purple.
Lin Sue Cooney from Hospice of the Valley was the event’s keynote speaker. She spoke about the importance of community and caring for our neighbors as we prepare for this silver tsunami. This kind of caregiving takes a village, and we have an obligation as neighbors to help those who are on this heartbreaking journey.
If you would like to get involved with CADA or any of our partners mentioned in this article, please contact Suzette Armijo with Beatitudes at Home at Ext. 8529 or 602.544.8529. *
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- Arizona State Capitol
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- Kathy Ritchie
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- Arizona State Capitol dome turned purple for Alzheimer’s & Brain Awareness Month
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- Suzette Armijo, Director of Beatitudes at Home
I have watched this movie many times, but there is always one scene in particular which resonates with me. While giving a tribute to his friend, one of the characters says this; “Michael O’Sullivan was my great friend, but I don’t ever remember telling him that. The words that are spoken at a funeral are spoken too late for the man that is dead. What a wonderful thing it would be to visit your own funeral, to sit at the front, and hear what is said. Maybe say a few things yourself. Michael and I grew old together, and at times when we laughed we grew younger. If he was here now, if he could hear what I say, I’d congratulate him on being a great man, and thank him for being a friend.” Most of you will be familiar with the motto “Carpe Diem – Seize the Day,” but I wonder how many of us are very good at remembering to do that. As the quote from “Waking Ned” reminds us, we are sometimes so swept up in the whirlwind of our lives, that we forget to express what is in our hearts to the people whom we love and care about.
The 40 days begins this Ash Wednesday as you are invited to come and receive the imposition of ashes upon your forehead—a sign of humility that we all are in need of God’s grace. There are two opportunities to receive the ashes: Rosary and Communion in the Plaza View Lounge at 10:00AM, or anytime between 10:00AM—3:00PM, the Life Center will be available as a space for prayer and reflection with your Campus Chaplains offering the opportunity to be marked with ashes. Throughout the Sundays in Lent, worship opportunities are Catholic Mass at 10AM and the campus Vespers services at 3 and 4PM when the Chaplains will be preaching on the theme of “Characters of the Cross.”